Chapter 35
I t was amazing how much the fae accomplished in a single day of preparations.
The courtyard had been transformed into an outdoor dining hall and a dance floor.
Guests in intricate gowns and clothing filled the space, everyone wearing either a crown of sorts or a mask covering just the top half of their face.
A group of musicians on a stage played a variety of string instruments as couples danced below floating candlelight chandeliers.
Lights flitted across the space and down the center of the large tables where twigs decorated with crystals sat in oversized vases.
The fae laughed and talked and danced with a freedom that should have made me smile.
But as the guards, still wearing the same uniforms with the white feathers on their heads, ushered me down the wide stone stairs leading into the courtyard, I felt my heart racing. With sweaty palms and a growing sense of dread, I turned around and started to walk away.
But I only got two steps in before I ran into a tall, solid hunk of muscle. Hard, naked muscle.
“Sosie?”
My heart instantly calmed when I heard his voice. I opened my eyes and looked up at Wylen’s concerned face. Breathing a sigh of relief, I did what felt natural and pulled him closer to me in a hug. “Wylen, I was worried about you,” I whispered into his chest, squeezing him tight.
He gently rubbed my back, giving me some of that much-needed calming energy, and chuckled. “You did not need to worry about me, Sosasia Raine Westwood.”
I nestled in a little closer, needing his familiarity to give me strength before slowly pulling away. “Oh my god, Wylen. What are you wearing?”
He laughed and shook his head. “We are in my world now, Sosie.”
“Clearly.”
Wylen was dressed in all black. A shirt that split down the middle and exposed most of his chest clung tightly to toned muscles that regular humans had to work hard for.
A series of fabric pieces cut like leaves decorated his shoulders, and at the point over his stomach where the shirt stitched back together was a piece of filigree that reminded me of a family crest. Black tight woolen pants and a pair of black leather boots completed his look, highlighting his legs.
But that wasn’t even the most striking part.
His long blond hair was parted down the middle, flowing almost to his shoulders.
And sitting on top of his head was a silver crown of antlers at least a foot high.
Twisting around each other and coming to a point over his forehead, it looked like the crown had grown out of his head.
My mouth hung open in surprise. “I…I don’t even know what to say.”
Wylen hung his head, and I swear I saw a slight blush crawl down his exposed neck. “Look at you,” he finally said, eyes dancing across my skin. “A queen in the making.”
His words barely registered because the way he was looking at me wasn’t…it couldn’t…he couldn’t look at me like that. It wasn’t safe.
“I am no queen,” I whispered, skin tingling with the way he was making me feel.
“Not yet.” He’d said it so quietly, I thought I’d misheard. But before I could ask him to clarify that statement, he dropped into a bow and then held out his arm. “Shall we dance?”
So many questions. So many feelings. Too much right now to address them all. So, I grabbed his elbow and allowed Wylen, Prince of Geimhreadh, to escort me to the dance floor.
The crowd parted before us. If I’d had any hope of blending in with the guests this evening, that chance was gone. People stared at Wylen, bowed their heads as he passed. And then they watched me like I was a predator amongst them, following my every movement.
“Well, this is highly uncomfortable,” I grumbled as Wylen pulled me onto the wooden dance floor near the musicians.
With a laugh, he spun me in front of him and placed a hand on my waist, lifted mine to his shoulder, and then gently grabbed my free hand in his. Warmth spread across my skin wherever he touched me. “Pretend you belong here. It is what will make them less interested.”
“Is that how you handle royalty?” I meant it as a sarcastic quip, but he answered.
“Yes.”
Well, that sounded miserable. Having to put on a show in front of an audience constantly? I didn’t think I could do it.
Wylen effortlessly spun me around the floor, waltzing in time to the beat and being sure I didn’t look as inadequate as I felt.
This certainly wasn’t the type of dancing I was accustomed to, but I had some experience.
I’d have to thank my mother for forcing me into ballroom classes as a young adult.
“Relax, Sosie,” Wylen whispered down to me with a gorgeous smile. “I’ve got you.”
It was so…human—that expression. I laughed, wiggled my shoulders, loosened my neck, and tried to meld my movements with his.
It was easy to dance with him, and soon the entire courtyard disappeared.
It was just me and Wylen, laughing and chatting and ignoring all looks of envy and disgust getting thrown in my di rection.
After being cooped up in that prison room for two days, this felt freeing.
The cool night air moved over my skin, the sky a vast maze of oranges and pinks above us.
The music filled my head, and every time Wylen smiled down at me, a warmth sparked in my stomach.
Several women tried to cut in, but Wylen politely dismissed them. And when one male fae, dressed in revealing clothing similar to Wylen’s, had asked to dance with me, Wylen simply glared at him until he cowered and walked away.
“You didn’t have to be that mean,” I joked with Wylen, even though I was glad he sent the fae on his way.
“Yes, I did,” he said curtly.
“But why did?—”
“Let’s get something to eat.” Wylen cut me off and started guiding us toward the dining area.
“I don’t think I should eat anything right now,” I said, remembering that I needed to keep focused tonight.
He looked down at me with suspicion written across his face, but didn’t ask. Instead, he said, “All right. How about a drink?”
“A drink sounds wonderful.”
We moved toward the far end of the courtyard, just below my prison window, and I looked up.
Yep, a jump from that height definitely would have killed me.
Wylen reached forward and grabbed two goblets from a table, handing one to me.
We both took a sip as we surveyed the courtyard.
I was hot from the dancing and discreetly tried to wipe the sweat from my brow.
So many fae were still watching me…watching us that my skin crawled.
“How do you handle it? Being famous here?”
He huffed a laugh and wrapped his arm behind my back. “I am not famous. Just royal.”
“Same thing,” I grumbled, but then perked up with a thought. “Where is your home? Your…castle?”
“I live?— "
“Wylen Jerrah Keldi, aren’t you quite a delightful sight this evening.”
I nearly choked on my sip of wine as Queen Fiadh held out her hand, waiting for Wylen.
He dropped his arm from my back and turned to face the queen we somehow hadn’t seen coming through the courtyard.
With a generous bow followed by a kiss to the back of her hand, Wylen acted like the ever-loyal subject that he was.
“My queen,” he said with a grin. “You look lovely as ever.”
I agreed. Her dress was absolutely stunning.
Bright red with gold accents and way more revealing than most of the attire I’d seen tonight.
The straps of the dress wrapped around her neck and stomach, leaving her shoulders bare and amplifying her toned muscles.
A singular, long slit ran up her left thigh on the bottom half of her dress, and a train of red fabric trailed behind her.
But it was the intricate gold artwork adorning her hands and arms that set her apart.
Like tattoos, the gold ink sparkled against her sun-kissed skin.
Those and the gorgeous tiara on her head.
Made of pure gold, eight branches of metallic twigs wound through each other, across her head, and ended with a large ruby.
The candlelight from the floating chandeliers reflected off the stones, showing that they were of a very high cut and grade.
Her brunette hair flowed down to her waist in a wave of curls and the dark makeup around her eyes made her all the more stunning.
Her gaze found mine, and I made a quick curtsey. “Queen Fiadh.”
She stared at me, taking in all the details of my dress and my crown. “They did well,” she said, almost sounding surprised.
“Yes, Pernilla and her ladies are?—”
“Shall we go see your father?” she interrupted.
I swallowed an eye roll. “Yes, please.”
With a raised chin and a final assessing glare in my direction, she spun on her heel and started walking toward the main entrance to the castle on the other side of the courtyard .
I let out a breath and rolled my neck. “That went well,” I complained.
Wylen shook his head and held out his arm for me to lead. His hand found the small of my back once more. “The games have only just begun, Sosie. Stay sharp.”
And with those terrifying words, we followed the queen into her lair.